*Desired start date:*spring or early summer 2014
*Duration:*2-2.5 years
*Salary:*$41,329.60/year plus benefits
*Location:*University of Alaska Fairbanks (Prugh lab), with fieldwork in
California
*Position Description*
We seek a postdoctoral researcher to work with a team of researchers
examining plant-animal community interactions and responses to climate
change in a California grassland. As the number of threatened species
increases, wildlife managers increasingly face the risk of inadvertently
harming some species when taking action to conserve others. Our study is
located in the Carrizo Plain National Monument, a hotspot of
endangerment that faces threats from invasive plants and climate change.
The goal of our project is to gain a better understanding of direct and
indirect interactions among endangered and invasive species. Our
ultimate aim is to improve the ability of managers to predict how
climate change and actions such as cattle grazing will ripple through
the food web and impact community structure and function.
The postdoc will be based in the Prugh lab at the University of Alaska
Fairbanks and will also work closely with Justin Brashares at UC
Berkeley and Katie Suding at the University of Colorado Boulder. The
primary role of the postdoc will be to lead data analysis and manuscript
preparation using 7 years of existing data from our ongoing study.
Existing data include: plant biomass and composition; small mammal
mark-recapture data; invertebrate biomass and composition from pitfall
traps; distance surveys of reptiles, lagomorphs, and foxes; bird point
counts; soil and climate data; and cattle grazing intensity. The primary
focus of the study is on the role of a keystone burrowing rodent, the
giant kangaroo rat (/Dipodomys ingens/) in this community, with an
emphasis on understanding their trophic and engineering effects on
plants and invertebrates. For more information, please visit
http://www.carrizoscience.org/cpep/.
In addition to working with existing data, the postdoc will have the
opportunity to assist with the initiation of a new NSF-funded field
experiment adding precipitation manipulations to our existing
experimental framework. A project manager will oversee logistical
operations at the field site, but the postdoc will be encouraged to
spend time in the field each year assisting with surveys and gaining
hands-on experience in the study system. The postdoc will also have the
opportunity to spend time in the Brashares and Suding labs if desired.
*Requirements: *A PhD in ecology or related field by late spring or
early summer 2014 is highly preferred. Applicants must have a
demonstrated record of publication in peer-reviewed journals, including
at least one first-author publication. Strong writing skills are
required. Experience analyzing plant, invertebrate, or small mammal data
are especially desired. Experience using program R, running mixed
effects models, working with multivariate data, and/or using Bayesian
analyses are desired.
*To apply:* Please send a cover letter, cv, and 3 letters of reference
to Laura Prugh (lpr...@alaska.edu <mailto:lpr...@alaska.edu>). Review of
applications will begin February 15th. Position is open until filled.
